Five-star joining Duke basketball program because of Grant Hill

Former back-to-back Duke basketball national champ Grant Hill, a legendary Blue Devil small forward (1990-94) whose No. 33 forever hangs from Cameron Indoor Stadium's rafters, is responsible for Montverde Academy (Fla.) power forward Sean Stewart's long-time Blue Devil fandom.

Stewart, who ranks No. 13 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite and became a McDonald's All-American on Tuesday alongside two other future Blue Devils, said as much during his recent chat with Rivals' Krysten Peek.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound ferocious five-star even credited Hill for his early pledge to Duke in December 2021.

"He's the reason that I'm going there because he took me to a game when I was younger and made me a Duke fan," Sean Stewart, the son of former eight-year NBA big man Michael Stewart, told Peek about former seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill, his neighbor as a kid. "He gave me a lot of advice over the years."

five-star Duke commit Sean Stewart on his close relationship with Grant Hill: "He's the reason I'm going there. He took me to a game when I was younger and made me a Duke fan." Full interview: https://t.co/r2shH6eVsx pic.twitter.com/MLtdDPNloa
— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) January 24, 2023

Although Stewart noted that Hill encouraged him to look at options other than Duke, it sounds like they've been embracing their shared memberships in "The Brotherhood" since he officially decided to join first-year head coach Jon Scheyer's 2023 Duke basketball recruiting haul.

"We got this secret handshake now," Stewart explained to Peek about his bond with Hill.

The other McDonald's All-Americans heading to Durham next season are Centennial (Calif.) combo guard Jared McCain and Roselle Catholic (N.J.) small forward Mackenzie Mgbako. Notre Dame (Calif.) combo guard Jared McCain and Worcester Academy (Mass.) power forward TJ Power round out the five-deep Blue Devil class.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.